Does Try Try Again Really Work?

Home baked Vanilla Cupcakes waiting for vanilla icing. Recipe ingredients are 2 3/4 cups plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 200g unsalted butter softened, 1 3/4 cups caster sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup milk. Preheat oven to 170C and line two muffin trays with cupcake papers.
Food by Dot Bernet © Photographs Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025
See website for Vanilla Buttercream icing:
https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/vanilla-cupcakes-L6950.html

A wonderful children’s author I have known for some time, Cate Whittle, posted on her Substack page about success and failure and trying again. A cooking failure was turned around and she will experiment further to refine her recipe.
Read here: https://catewhittle.substack.com/p/having-your-cake

Home baked Red Velvet Cupcake with White Chocolate Icing. Food by Dot Bernet © Photographs Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025

My reply to Cate was prompted by a happy memory and perhaps an old lesson people could use more often. ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.‘ Here is what I wrote on Cate’s July Substack page:

“Lovely, just what I needed to read with my cuppa! Your warming newsletter brought back some lovely memories of my daughter’s first foray into cooking. Initially, her first attempts were not that good and one particular dish was a disaster. I said ‘Oh well, let’s try it again and see what happens‘ and fortunately it worked. She is now an excellent cook and will try most recipes including exotic international dishes which are beyond me. We keep a photo file of my daughter’s greatest triumphs. Recently she told me that ‘Let’s try it again‘ day was a pivotal moment for her cooking skills.

Looking forward to another version of your tea cake, Cate!”
Follow Cate’s literary life ‘A Cuppa With Cate’
Substack https://catewhittle.substack.com/

Happy cooking (and eating!)

💗 © Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025

Food choice by Dot Bernet. Mandarin from our tree. Bread home-baked © Photographs Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025

‘Happy 6th WordPress Blogaversary Cake’ First attempt Battenberg Cake by Dot Bernet © image Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2023

https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2023/09/14/review-starberries-and-kee-cate-whittle/
https://catewhittle.substack.com/p/my-books

(1) Strawberries from greengrocer (2) Side Salad by Dot Bernet © Photographs Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025

How to Tackle a Toastie

Deconstructed sandwich © Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2023

A person reaches an age where they long for an ordinary sandwich. In this case I asked for an avocado and fetta toastie. This delicious tasting yet very difficult to eat deconstructed sandwich on a slice of toasted rye bread contained half an avocado, chunks of fetta, a whole tomato halved, and rocket garnish on top. It was drizzled with a type of balsamic vinaigrette and had a wedge of lemon to add for zest. It was difficult to eat by hand so I attacked it with a knife and fork. Although a delicious flavour, it was quite a battle to get it to do what I wanted, e.g. stay together long enough so that I could eat it!

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL INGREDIENTS:

THREE GIRLS SKIPPING—Avo on Toast—Lunch Menu
“Avocado on seeded sourdough with thyme roasted tomatoes, Persian feta and chimichurri.”

Yes, fetta and feta are different. The correct spelling for fetta depends on the type of cheese being referred to and the country of origin of the cheese in question. There is Cow’s Milk Fetta and Buffalo Milk Feta. You can also get local Camel Milk Persian Feta. Nevertheless, I am not exactly sure the chimichurri lived up to expectations but at least my taste buds were made aware of a new flavour.

Visit info@threegirlsskipping.com.au in Graceville Brisbane if you are feeling hungry 🙂 and their soy latte was delicious.

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Entirely unrelated but terrifically tasty from Brumby’s Bakery Sherwood Brisbane—

A. Top left to right: Butterfly Cream Cupcake, Iced Fairy Cupcake
B. Middle left to right: Cream Bun, Custard Tart, Mini Lemon Meringue Pie, Apple & Custard Tart, Passionfruit Tart.
C. Bottom left to right: Iced Fairy Cupcake, immortal Vanilla Slice, Carmel Slice ChocTop, out of shot Cherry Ripe Slice.
Buon appetito, sweet treat connoisseurs!

The Café Near My Home

The poem by Paul Thomas Galbally ‘A Café on My Street’ struck a cord with me as I sat in my local café towards closing time while the chairs and tables were being wiped, floors swept, stock covered and perishables put in the refrigerator. The barista and wait staff moved slowly with end-of-the-day tiredness.

My experience is not as poignant as Galbally’s but I can well imagine that my local café owner will not want to stay for years in the one spot. He’s too young to have the desire to grow old and create a poetic backstory like this for people in the suburbs. Read on…

Local café closing time © Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2023

The Café on My Street
by Paul Thomas Galbally

This is my street
An old street,
In an old Irish town
The people come
And then they go
In the soft rain
Of a short Irish summer

When the mood is on me
I let my feet walk
And they always
Seem to bring me here
The café at the end of the street
And sure,
Where else would they go?

Many is a time
I had a hearty steak sandwich
Or fishcakes with potatoes
Or just a coffee and scuffin
To beat the cold outside
And it’s many the friend
I found in there
Aye, and lovers too.

It’s face is green and black
Milanese style
So the owners tell me
With a striped green and white awning
And simple tables and chairs
And all the love in the world

Music has been had there
And poetry, and just craic
Long Scrabble Saturdays
Taken very seriously
We even bought the dictionary
To stop the heated
Word exchanges

So I know most of the people
There is always a smile
Headed in my direction
When I am blue
It brings me to life
Somewhat
And needless to say
The food is always good

It is funny, how
Friends and family
Merge sometimes
As happens
In the Café at the end of the street
Where friends are family
And family are friends

They told me
They are closing in September
A loss like a family bereavement
I can only hope that
I find another place to go
Or maybe a new street to live on
Where I can
Walk out my door, and feel
Home

Paul Thomas Galbally, Ireland, August 2014
https://hellopoetry.com/paul-thomas-galbally/

“Think of them as a cross between scones and muffins
or as I like to call them scuffins.
These Irish muffins can be enjoyed in many ways.
Straight out of the oven for a warm breakfast treat,
as a quick snack with butter,
or part of your bread basket at mealtime”
Once Upon A Chef – Recipe from Jenn Segal

Reading Wales and Eating Pikelets

Breakfast budgerigars by Anna Blatman Artworks © image Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2022

The origin of the word pikelet stems from the Welsh bara pyglyd or pitchy bread, which was a dark, sticky bread. The word spread into England and was anglicised to Pikelet.

Very easy to prepare and cook, pikelets are traditionally small yet a similar version to pancakes.

Gradually the basic pikelet recipe travelled far and wide through the world, adapting to different ingredients and varying from family to family.

Australian Pikelets

1 egg
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
One drop vanilla essence – optional

First beat the egg then add flour, sugar, milk, vanilla essence.
Combine all ingredients and mix lightly and evenly.
More ingredients can be added to batter for preferred consistency.
Tablespoon mixture onto a greased, heated frying pan or griddle.
Cook until pikelets rise and turn light brown, flip once.

Pikelets are cooked plain then served with a topping while hot and fresh.

My photograph shows a rather lavish topping needing a knife and fork.
Pikelets are normally finger food topped with jam and cream, or buttered, or a squeeze of lemon and dusting of icing sugar.

Children have been known to colour the batter with food dye for a holiday event.

Study Reading Wales #Dewithon22 Reading List—eat, read, enjoy!

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Pumpkin Poem

Pumpkin seedling sprouts in a tea caddy © Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2021

PUMPKIN POEM

One day I found two pumpkin seeds.

I planted one and pulled the weeds.

It sprouted roots and a big, long vine.

A pumpkin grew; I called it mine.

The pumpkin was quite round and fat.

(I really am quite proud of that)

But there is something I’ll admit

That has me worried just a bit.

I ate the other seed, you see.

Now will it grow inside of me…?

I’m so relieved since I have found

That pumpkins only grow in the ground!

Source DLTK’s Crafts for Kids
https://dltk-holidays.com/fall/pumpkinpoem1.htm

Home-grown Kent Jap Pumpkin (Brisbane) ready for cooking – 2020
© Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Camel Milk Pancake Recipe

Pancake Recipe from 1984 ‘Country Hospitality’ Cookery Book

This is an straightforward recipe, you can juggle amounts and type of ingredients to suit. I use whatever is available in the fridge. When you are hungry, you cannot afford to be too serious with pancake-making batter. My secret ingredient is camel milk.

PANCAKES

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 egg

1 cup camel milk (or other)

1 tablespoon butter (or other)

1 lemon

I have tried different milks, e.g. cow milk, soy milk, almond milk, goat milk (considered sheep milk) to versatile camel milk. The Summer Land camel milk makes consistently fluffy pancakes which keep well (if you have any left over) and they take a variety of spreads or toppings.

Method

Sift the flour and salt; make a hole in the flour and break the egg into it, gradually stirring in as much flour as the egg will take;

Add half the milk by degrees and continue stirring until all the flour is absorbed;

Continue beating until bubbles rise, then stir in the rest of the milk gradually and stand batter aside for at least half an hour (I never do);

Take a small piece of butter and melt into the frying pan. Pour butter out and wipe the pan with paper (not necessary with non-stick pans) then put another piece of butter in, and when it has melted pour in a little of the batter and fry till it is light brown and tiny bubbles form;

Turn with a spatula, and when cooked on both sides, slip pancake onto a piece of paper. Continue in the same way until all the batter is used.

Serve

The ICPA serving suggestion is “sprinkle with castor sugar, roll up. Serve hot, garnished with slices of lemon.” However, I love them spread with soy margarine, honey and slices of banana. Try seasonal fruit, peanut butter, savoury mince or a soft square of camel fetta.

Note: Summer Land camel milk (1 litre bottle) available at organics grocery stores, and also in milk powder formula. Use it with your own favourite recipe!

Thanks

This recipe is courtesy of Mrs L Nicholas of Solferino, Clermont, Queensland Australia. Recipe published in ‘Country Hospitality’ compiled by Clermont Branch of the Isolated Children’s Parents Association 1984 with illustrations by Branch member Margaret Finger of Redrock, Clermont, Queensland Australia. Metric conversions are approximate.

Bon appétit !

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Pumpkin Chia Mini Muffins

IMG_20200617_181800 — Pumpkin Chia Mini Muffins 2020

Following on from our large home-grown pumpkin and Grandma’s Pumpkin Scone Recipe, every cookery book containing a pumpkin formulation now comes under scrutiny. Our most recent addition is Pumpkin Chia Mini Muffins.

Here’s the recipe if you feel like something tasty for lunch – with or without an accompaniment – and you can make them any size you wish!

Pumpkin Chia Mini Muffins

I N G R E D I E N T S

80g ( ⅓ cup) Butter

1 Spring Onion, thinly sliced

2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

250g (1 cup) Pumpkin, peeled, seeded, coarsely grated

375g (2 ½ cups) Self-Raising Flour

½ tsp Salt

120g (1 cup) Cheddar Cheese, coarsely grated

2 tbs Chia Seeds

1 Egg, lightly whisked

310ml (1 ¼ cups) Buttermilk

Chia Seeds, to sprinkle

Butter/Condiment, to serve

M E T H O D

Preheat oven to 190°C (374° F)

Grease a 12-hole (80ml) Muffin Pan (or 2 x 12-hole Mini Muffin Pans)

Heat 1 tbs of butter in a medium flying pan over medium heat.

Add spring onion and garlic and cook, stirring 3 mins until spring onion softens.

Add pumpkin and cook, stirring 5 mins or until pumpkin softens.

Set aside to cool.

Melt remaining butter into a saucepan over medium heat.

Combine flour and salt in a bowl.

Stir in cheddar cheese and chia seeds.

Whisk egg, buttermilk and melted butter in a bowl.

Season with salt.

Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture.

Add pumpkin mixture.

Use a large spoon to stir until just combined.

Spoon mixture into prepared pans.

Sprinkle with extra chia seeds on top.

Bake approx 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven.

Insert skewer to check, should come out clean.

Cool muffins in pan for 5 mins before turning onto wire rack.

N O T A T I O N S

Eat Pumpkin Chia Mini Muffins with soup, plain or with savoury topping.

Can be baked in muffin pans or paper patty pans for children.

Next time I would add corn or diced capsicum or chopped green herbs.

Using buttermilk seemed to make a difference.

Chia seeds taste is not very noticeable, but apparently is very good for you.

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Winter Pumpkin Scone Recipe

IMG_20200606_160101 — Home-grown Kent Jap Pumpkin ready for cooking – June 2020

Pumpkin scones are a traditional morning tea favourite in Queensland. Unsophisticated yet delicious, these golden scones were much-loved by the late Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen, politician and wife of former Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and she often baked them for public occasions.

Seen as tea-time treats, they are available by the half dozen in bakeries and displayed in the cookery section of annual shows and exhibitions. For home cooking, pumpkin scones have stood the test of time due to their quick preparation and adaptability. They can be eaten sweet with strawberry jam and whipped cream, or savoury with cheddar cheese and chutney.

For full flavour, pumpkin scones are best eaten warm from the oven, but they store well and a quick turn in the microwave gives them a boost on a chilly morning.

IMG_20200611_130000 — Packed and ready for visiting family – June 2020

Grandma’s Pumpkin Scones

3 cups self raising flour

pinch salt

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup mashed pumpkin – cooled

1 egg

milk

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, add mashed pumpkin. Sift in flour alternately with enough milk to make soft, light dough. Pat out or roll on floured board to desired thickness. Cut with round cutter. Place on tray and brush with milk or lightly dust with flour. Bake in a hot oven. Serve warm; plain or with topping.

Above recipe is adapted from Jenny Purvis, “Kilmarnock” Clermont, Queensland.
Courtesy of “Country Hospitality: A Comprehensive Cookery Book” compiled by the Clermont Branch of Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association 1984 edition.

IMG_20200606_181544 — Plain, buttered, chutney or jam topping?

A prayer follows the foreword by former Executive Officer, Queensland Council ICPA, Mr E C Powne MBE, and reprinted below:

My Kitchen Prayer

Bless my little kitchen, Lord,
I love its every nook,
And bless me as I do my work,
Wash pots and pans and cook.

May the meals that I prepare,
Be seasoned from above,
With thy blessing and thy grace,
But most of – thy Love.

As we partake of earthly food,
Thy table Thou has spread,
We’ll not forget to thank thee, Lord,
For all our daily bread.

So bless my little kitchen, Lord,
And those who enter in,
May they find nought but joy and peace,
And happiness therein. Amen.

IMG_20200611_163708 — Nature’s winter bounty brightens our day – June 2020

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

ADDENDUM: Kent pumpkin (also known as Jap pumpkin) has ribbed, grey-green mottled skin and golden yellow flesh. This pumpkin is of the sweeter variety, perfect for pumpkin scones, salads and baked dishes. Great mashed, roasted or steamed and mixed with a variety of sweet or savoury foods. Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta carotene and contains dietary fibre, potassium, and vitamins C and E for good health.

Brunch at Fourthchild Cafe Ipswich City

Alighted from the train in Ipswich City with friends and decided to have brunch. We chose Fourchild Cafe Restaurant, 126 Brisbane Street, because it’s handy to the railway station. The business is family owned and operated and they prepare everything by hand, in-house, with produce sourced from Lockyer Valley farms and local suppliers.

Rather than give you a rundown of our visit, I have posted photographs with a comment or two underneath. Bon appétit!

IMG_20191014_112416 — A food blogger would know the latest words for edgy decor but I’d say colourful.

IMG_20191014_112808 — What it says – a cold drip coffee device with the look of a mad scientist invention.

IMG_20191014_112755 — A comprehensive ‘Know Your Coffee’ espresso menu which I am going to carry with me always. Not the board, just the photo!

IMG_20191014_112353 — It was a hot springtime day so settled for a tall iced coffee with whipped cream.

IMG_20191014_114912 — Corn fritter pancake stack with bacon, poached egg, tomato salsa, scattered with feta. Actually it had two eggs but I gave one away!

IMG_20191014_112548 — Dessert cabinet love at first sight! Look at the size of the Lemon Meringue Pie and Frangipani Pie (recipe link below)

IMG_20191014_112433 — Fourthchild Cafe Restaurant is situated in an old building so they’ve gone with the natural antiqueness. This is a view of the roof where the shaft leads up to skylights (not visible on either side) for light and air in all weathers before air-conditioning was invented.

This is Boris the bison, overlooking the bar, keeping a watchful eye on proceedings.

We were in Ipswich to visit ‘The World Turns Modern’ an Art Deco exhibition at Ipswich Art Gallery on loan from the National Gallery collection. But more on that another time.

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Fourthchild info http://www.fourthchildcafe.com.au/

Frangipani pie https://www.simplesavings.com.au/blog/108227/3267203/Frangipani-PieMums-special-recipe-and-a-family-favourite

Ipswich info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipswich,_Queensland

Afternoon Tea and Fancy Food

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea” Henry James, The Portrait Of A Lady.

Afternoon tea offers a variety of rich, creamy cakes and sweet pastries. Ribbon sandwiches are sometimes served with savoury nibbles but the ubiquitous tea, scones, crumpets and homemade preserves are still in evidence.

The British aristocracy conceived Afternoon Tea a long time before their working classes began to consume High Tea in the evening. Traditionally afternoon tea is lighter than high tea, the latter consisting of heavier food like meats and fish which possibly morphed into dinner. Who knows? I’m only going on what I’ve read.

Australia was founded by the British so, up until recently, a fair amount of our eating habits were ever-so-English and afternoon Tea For Two was practiced both domestically and in cafés until the advance of a more universal drink – coffee. Most people are lucky if they get afternoon tea now, e.g. in my experience people have a break at ‘morning tea’ time.

My grandmother’s hand-stitched tablecloth and serviettes were linen and a deliciously laden 3-tiered cake stand was placed in the centre of the table on a crocheted doily. A posy of fresh flowers was discreetly positioned beside the teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl. The cutlery was usually a knife, for spreading strawberry jam and cream, and a spoon for stirring your tea.

The crockery set was china or hand-painted porcelain and generally both cups and saucers displayed dainty flowers. I learned to tell the difference between a teapot and a coffee pot by the position of the spout. Not many people remember the design reason for this! Sometimes during pouring, a small tea strainer was used. I won’t go into the variety of teas available but traditionally alcohol was not served.

“Happiness for me is largely a matter of digestion” said writer Lin Yutang and added “There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life” ― Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living.

These are my thoughts becoming words and not necessarily historical facts; just how I remember it when I visited my grandmother in Melbourne, Victoria. As a child, in the homes of my friends, a serving of apple pie with ice-cream was just as good. Friday evening fish and chips were a treat, and when the first pizza was taken from the pizzeria oven, we were not sure how to pronounce it let alone eat it.

I have a pot of leaf tea with my breakfast and use a tea cosy. Teapots come in all shapes and sizes, and tea cosies, once the staple of the twentieth century Australian woman’s knitting repertoire, covered the pot and kept it warm. While the tea leaves brewed, a colourful and creative tea cosy added to the charm of many an afternoon tea table.

NOTE : Afternoon tea images may induce hunger pangs!

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

IMG_20180309_084308